A growing compilation of my own theological essays and commentaries and devotion also apologetic issues will be described as well.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Did God act in the Exodus of the Jews? (responding to the Discovery channels special: Rameses Wrath of God or Wrath of man?) December 5, 2004

Since 911 America has been coming back into it’s roots. More people are being patriotic more people are traditional in values and more people are becoming Christian. When we look at the phenomenon of the movie “the passion of the Christ” a movie barely advertise yet grossing over $6 00 million. Also the 2004 election had George W. Bush and the republican party win resoundingly running on the platform of “family” values friendly to Christians and other god fearing religions. The Secular leaders and intellectual minds of our country are now trying to attack Christianity on the mainstream level as much as possible. Popular in bookstores is the book “the Davinci codes” a book of propaganda gossiping of rumors of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. National Geographic came out with a recent issue defending Darwinism dogmatically without even addressing creation science movement. The Discovery channel is next coming out with a special presentation on tonight trying to refute the book of Exodus. You may wonder why the simple miracle of the Exodus plague against the pharoah’s son is important. After all it is trying to undermine Jesus and cross right? Wrong. We must remember that Jesus was a Jew. He believed in this miracle. Matt 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” (The law of Moses is the 1st five books of the Old Testament) How can we trust the Exodus prophecies of Jesus if we can’t trust their truth of it as history? If this was not true then Jesus was a liar. How can you trust a liar for salvation? Therefore I thought it would be good to give a defense of the plagues of Egypt

1). History ) There was a supernatural battle between religions of Egypt with their magicians and the Prophets of the Hebrews with their Holy God.“Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they were commanded by God to return again to Pharaoh. When the magicians by their sorcery imitated the miracles of Aaron’s rod becoming a serpent, Pharaoh became more obstinate than ever. {Ex 7:1-13} The leaders of these magicians who opposed Moses were Jannes and Jambres, as named by the apostle Paul. {2Ti 3:8} These names are noted not only by the Jews in their Talmudical treatise of ##### (that is, Oblations, c.9.) where they are called by the names of ##### and #####, that is Jochanon and Mamre. They are mentioned also in the Chaldee Paraphrase, where they are attributed to Jonathon, {Ex 1:15 7:11} as well as among some heathen writers, for Numenius Apamea, a Pythagorean Philosopher, in his third book ### # ###### cited by Eusebius. He related this account: {*Eusibius, Gospel, 1. 9. c. 8. (411d) 1:443} “ ‘Jannes and Jambres, interpreters of mysteries of Egypt, were in great repute at the time when the Jews were sent out of Egypt. It was the opinion of all men that these were inferior to none in the art of magic. For by the common opinion of the Egyptians, these two were chosen to oppose Moses, the ringleader of the Jews. Moses prayers were most prevalent with God and they alone were able to undo and end all those most grievous calamities that God brought upon all the Egyptians.’“Pliny in reference to this stated: {*Pliny, 1. 30. c . 2. (11) 8:285} “ ‘There is also another sect of magicians, derived from Moses, Jannes, Lotapes and the Jews.’ “Pliny is, however, incorrect on two counts:a) In reckoning Moses among the magicians.b) In making Jannes and Lotapes to be Jews.“But when Pharaoh’s magicians could do no more, God through Moses sent his ten plagues upon the Egyptians. These are summarized in the Psalms {Ps 78:1-72 105:1-45}. According to the Jews, these plagues lasted a year, but in fact they were all sent within one month, in the following order.” Arch Bishop James Usher The Annals of the World (Arch Bishop Usher was a certifiable genius and the most respected historian of his day in the 17th century, here he lays out historical evidence of the famous plagues of Egypt and the Exodus) Here Archbishop Ussher cites pagan historians who have recognize the Egyptian magicians and record the challenge between them and the Egyptian gods verses the God of Moses.

The Exodus was obviously historical for Jews, the event was central to Israelite culture and civilization. “It is true nevertheless, that the great fact in which the consciousness of Israel ever rooted itself, as that which first gave the nation it’s freedom, and made it a nation, was the Exodus, with which is constantly associated the deliverance at the Red Sea. It was remarked at the beginning that we have only to reflect on the nature of such an event as the Exodus to see that, if it really happened, it could never again be forgotten by the people whose redemption it was some things in a nation’s history may be forgotten; of others the memory is indelible. Could the English people ever forget the Normans and the Conquest; the Scottish, Bannockburn or Flodden, or the events of their reformation; Americans, Bunker’s Hill or the Declaration of Independence? Yet these are small matters compared with what the Exodus, and the events which followed it, were to the Israelites. When we turn, accordingly, to the poetic and prophetic books of the Old Testament, we find that, amidst all the vicissitudes in their fortunes, the memory of the Exodus, with its attendant circumstances, never was obliterated, but remained fresh and green in the minds of the people as long as their national life lasted. In song, and psalm, and prophecy, the echoes of this wonderful deliverance in Egypt and at the Red Sea ring down their history till its close.” Dr. James Orr The problem of the Old Testament

Plus, we must ask ourselves if the Israelites made this up as a story why would they portray themselves as weak being in slavery? Why wouldn’t they portray Moses as a historic warrior as opposed to a prophet who let God do all the work?

Archaeology: Is archaeology a hard science?No. Archaeology deals with theories of the past. A hard science deals with present phenomena that can be experimentally proven repeatedly. Therefore while it is an important study many archaeological theories may prove incorrect.

Is there a natural explanation to the plague of the Passover?No.“Only the death of the ‘first-born’ is a plague for which there is no parallel (Ex. 12) and the statement in the Bible that the plague of “darkness in all the land of Egypt” affected only the Egyptians, but not the Israelites living in Egypt is, of course, incapable of any scientific explanation.” Werner Kellar. The Bible as History 2nd revised edition If an army or group of men did this how come they were not detected? If it was a separate group why didn’t they kill the Jews? If it was the Jews why didn’t the Egyptians simply destroy them? If there is no natural explanation to this event wouldn’t those against the Bible want to make some up?

Would a violent death contradict the plague of the Passover? noExo 12:23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he see the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

Exo 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.Exo 12:30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.Exo 12:31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.Exo 12:32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.Exo 12:33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.Exo 12:34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

“The plague struck their first-born, the joy and hope of their families. They had slain the Hebrews' children, now God slew theirs. It reached from the throne to the dungeon: prince and peasant stand upon the same level before God's judgments. The destroying angel entered every dwelling unmarked with blood, as the messenger of woe. He did his dreadful errand, leaving not a house in which there was not one dead. Imagine then the cry that rang through the land ofEgypt, the long, loud shriek of agony that burst from every dwelling. It will be thus in that dreadful hour when the Son of man shall visit sinners with the last judgment. God's sons, his first-born, were now released. Men had better come to God's terms at first, for he will never come to theirs.” Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Are there other times in the Bible where God uses an angel to deliver violent death?Yes, God used an angel to kill 185,000 men in the Assyrian army

2Ki 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

I must admit I have not seen this series. I have simply heard claims from various previews. If you watch the discovery channel tonight at 9:00p.m. Remember the arguments discussed here.God Bless,Matt Singleton